CoorsTek

The CoorsTek story begins not with high-tech ceramics, but with beer. In 1910, Adolph Coors, founder of the Coors brewery, invested in the Herold China and Pottery Company in Golden, Colorado, started by John J. Herold. Initially focused on oven-safe porcelain, the business proved essential during Prohibition, helping to sustain the Coors enterprise when beer production ceased. After Prohibition, the ceramics business, renamed Coors Porcelain Company, began its pivot, acquiring a competitor's labware line and investing in research under the leadership of Adolph's son, Joseph Coors Sr. This set the stage for a transformation from pottery to advanced materials. The company developed ceramic components for applications as diverse as electronics, medical implants, and vehicle armor. A significant turning point came in 1992 when the Adolph Coors Company spun off its non-brewing assets into a new public holding company, ACX Technologies. John Coors, Adolph's great-grandson, took the helm of the ceramics division, which was eventually renamed CoorsTek in 2000. In 2003, the Coors family took the company private. Freed from quarterly pressures, CoorsTek embarked on a series of strategic acquisitions, significantly expanding its global footprint. A major move was the 2014 purchase of Covalent Materials, formerly Toshiba Ceramics, for approximately $450 million, which doubled its size and expanded its presence in Asia. Today, led by the fifth generation of the Coors family, CoorsTek is a global leader in engineered ceramics, a multi-billion dollar enterprise proving to be more valuable than the family's stake in the famous brewery.